My World Changed

7 years ago today, at 11:21 PM my world was forever changed.

I was blessed to become the mother of none other than, Brayden William-Lawrence.

He was 7 lbs 9 oz and 21 1/2 inches long.  He had 10 toes and 10 fingers and a head full of  dark hair.

He was absolutely perfect in every way.

It was on this day when I learned what it means to truly love someone and put another person's needs before my own.

No book or article could have ever prepared me for all of the lessons that this one little boy has taught me and continues to teach me each day.

On the day that he made his way into this world I turned down the opportunity to attend a Colts game with Brent.

He had been given free tickets from work.  The idea of climbing bleachers and squeezing next to some random stranger while 9 months pregnant lacked a certain appeal to me, if you know what I mean.

Brent's cousin was happy to take my place at the game.  When the guys returned home from the game I had dinner ready.  We ate, his cousin left, and Brent and I went about our typical Sunday night routine.

As I was sitting on the floor coloring something for the preschool class that I was teaching at the time I began to feel slightly crampy. 

I decided to stretch out on our bed for a few minutes thinking this would relieve the cramps.  Much to my surprise my water suddenly broke!

We called our families and quickly headed to the hospital.  We did stop to drop off lesson plans at my assistant teacher's house {it was on the way}.

When I quickly learned that I was already dilated to 7cm.  I was informed that if I wanted an epidural I needed to get one quickly or it would be too late.

The thought of a needle going into my back terrified me, so I chose to go without the epidural.

Considering the fact that my water broke around 7:30 and I was holding my sweet baby by 11:21, I'd say my first birth experience wasn't too bad.

I know I'm not alone when it comes to reminiscing about my little boy being born.  It is amazing how quickly the time has passed.

While we have had our ups and downs during his short 7 years with us, I know that began our family circle.

Becoming a parent has solidified our marriage and pushed us to limits we could have never imagined.

No matter what, in the end, we are a family.  We love one another and that's the bottom line.

Happy Birthday Brady!  Mommy and Daddy love you!

I Just Can't Win!

A few weeks I explained my lack of blogging lately along with how G was hit with the croup.

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Just as I was beginning to feel that things {work, family, and whatnot} were falling into my typical smooth pattern . . . I realized I spoke {or blogged rather} too quickly!

I ran into a few little snags at work {which were typical beginning of the year snags, but time consuming nonetheless}.

I hit a big snag when the weekend after G had the croup, Little Miss thought it was a good idea to get her first ear infection {isn't she sweet?}.

Of course she chose the perfect time to spike a 101.8 fever, too . . . . 8:00 on Friday night!

Luckily, I learned that the doctor's office has special Saturday hours from 9:00-12:00 {Children always help to keep you on your toes, right?}.  I was able to get her into the doctor, get her some medicine, and she is feeling much better.  She rested for the remainder of the weekend and was back to her typical happy self by Monday, which was just enough time for the next shoe to drop.

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Brent came home Monday night and informed me that he would need to put in a lot of over time on a project that was due in 2 weeks {insert my enthusiasm here!}

I am happy ecstatic, actually, to report everyone is finally well in my house and I survived the 2 weeks of Brent's over time {And so did he.  Let's face it; it was just as difficult on him as it was on me}.

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The 3 day weekend really provided some much needed rest and relaxation!

I have been so bummed about not being able to blog.  I have mentally blogged so often, but when I actually had the time to sit down and get to business, what happened, I started to fall asleep {Darn, I’m old!}.

Now, here I am, finally able to complete the post that I began 3 weeks ago.  Actually I had to alter it quite a bit because so much has happened since its beginning.

I am very frustrated with myself.  I worked so hard to build this blog and to meet people.  Now it's as if I have just let that all just slip through my fingers.

I miss catching up with my blogging friends.  I want you to know that I have been able to read a few of your posts from my phone, while waiting in line and whatnot, but I haven't been able to comment due to interruptions or because of bad service.

I am desperately hoping that this post will serve as my 're-appearance' into the bloggy scene. 
I'm going to be realistic though,  I can't expect myself to post as frequently as I did over the summer.
I do want to post more often than I have been able to in the past 5 weeks.  So I'll settle for a happy medium.
 Frankly, I'll just be happy to keep in touch with my friends, because in the end that's what this is all about: meeting friends, communication, and keeping in touch with my readers.

So in closing I would like to say:
"Hi friends!  I have missed you, please share your life updates with me.  I can’t wait to read all about you!"

I'm Still Here

 

You may or may not be aware of the fact that I have gone back to work.

Also, you may or may not be aware of how chaotic the beginning of the school year is from the prospective of a teacher {Oh, heck for anyone for that matter.  It’s hectic for me as a parent as well!}.
So you are better able to understand the craziness, I will provide you with a brief example of my day:

I get up at 4:30.  I help to get all 3 kids ready and out the door.  I drop Baby M off at the baby sitter and take B to school with me {He's at my school this year}.  I put a smile on my face and greet 24 lovely kiddos {I really do have a great group this year!}.  I give the same direction 585 times.  I pack up my students and take them to the bus.  I attend meetings and fill out paper work.  Finally, I am able to prepare for upcoming lessons and activities {Of course this is done after contract time}.  B and I pick up Baby M and head home for the evening.  We eat dinner, do homework, take bathes and prepare for the next day.  After putting the kids to bed and working on more things for school I manage to crawl into bed around midnight.

As you can imagine I'm just flat. out. exhausted!

Sadly, this is why I have not been as involved in the bloggy world.  Things will begin to slow down soon and I will be able to participate more.

Like most people, I am living for the weekend more than ever.  This weekend, however, brought more excitement {if you can call it that} than I would have liked.

Let me explain.

When I got home on Friday night, as I was talking with G about his day, I noticed that his voice sounded rather raspy.

Part of me thought it was just a result of, beginning of the school year germs.  I also wondered if he may have had the beginning of croup.

Bright and early on Saturday morning he burst through our door and sounded terrible.

He sounded as if he was gasping for breath.  In between breaths he managed to squeeze out a cry.

His main complaint  . . . was that he couldn't talk.  Yes, that's correct.  He wasn't worried about the fact that it sounded as if he could barely breathe, he was upset about the fact that he had no voice.

Now, I need to explain {before you go judging me as a terrible parent and all}.  Last year he had croup and sounded just like this.  At the time I freaked out because he sounded like he couldn't breathe at all.  Brent took him to the doctor's office and we learned that he did have the croup and that it just sounds bad.  His oxygen intake was at 95%.  So due to prior experience I knew it wasn't as bad as it sounded {and in all honest a break from his nonstop talking was welcomed}.

I called our doctor to ask if it would be better to take G to the ER or to an immediate care clinic.  Rather than sending us to either he just called in a prescription {Um, THANK YOU!}

While Brent went to get meds I took G to the bathroom and turned on the shower.  The steam from the shower helps constrict the blood vessels making breathing easier.

At one point G said he felt as if he were going to throw up so he headed to the toilet.  I was completely grossed out at the sight of the disgusting toilet he was hanging his head over.

Naturally, what did I do?  Well, I cleaned it of course.  I mean what else do you at 6 AM on a Saturday when your kid is sick?!  I also proceeded to clean the rest of the bathroom and the upstairs while I was at it.

I went on to throwing in a load of laundry.

By the time Brent returned with the medicine G was asleep on the bathroom floor.

 

*Please notice he is wearing none other than the Santa Jammies!

The directions on the bottle said to give him the medicine with food.  We woke him up to give him a granola bar and the medicine.  After swallowing it, he looked at us and said, "Umm that tastes good!"
It was too funny not to laugh at him.

He then wanted to lay back down with me and since he wasn't feeling well what else could I do, but comply with his request. Not to mention the fact that I never pass up on a good cuddle time.

When we woke up he sounded MUCH better and acted like himself for the remainder of the weekend.

So tell me how have you been?

Back to Cool

Unfortunately, I have been so busy with work that I've been forced to take a temporary break from blogging . . . *sigh*

                                                         

I 'officially' went back on Tuesday and my kids came today.

Let's be honest here, I've spent about 3 or 4 weeks {with no air conditioning by the way} working in my classroom.  I've been going in with a friend after we both eat dinner with our families and after the kids settle down for the night.  There is no way to get ready for the school year in the 1 mandatory contract day set aside before the kids come.

I did get a new Back to School hair do.

Here's the before:

 

I posted this picture on Facebook and a friend asked why I looked so mad.

I wasn't going for the mad look.  It's more like I kinda feel like a dummy taking a picture of myself if the mirror, but whateva, I'm gonna take one anyway look.

Here's the after:

 

So be honest now, what do ya think?  Am I like totally unprofessional with pink hair and all?

Alrighty I hate to do this, but that’s all I’ve got for tonight.   

This going to bed at 1:30 and getting up at 4:30 is putting a serious cramp in my style!

Stupid Swimming Lessons Update

{Stupid Swimming Lessons}

Swimming Lessons ended on Thursday night.  You may recall that I attempted to speak with the director before leaving the pool that night, but was unsuccessful.  I called to leave a voice mail message for her, when we got home.

I was pleasantly surprised when she returned my phone call Friday morning.

I wasn't quite prepared for the call and I had to scramble downstairs to find the Progress Report so I could  specifically read to her what was written {I always hate confrontational moments like this.  I get very flustered and more than likely sound like an idiot!}

Once I was able to successfully locate the Progress Report I felt like I was able to talk with her a little more easily, however, I was still nervous {It's that darn people pleaser in me!}

I was grasping at straws as I began trying to gently explain my frustration with; not only the comments that were written, but the attitude the swimming teacher possessed, along with his lack of communication, and confidentiality.

My mind was put at ease as we talked and she understood my frustration.  She explained to me that part of the lifeguard and swim teacher training discussed communicating with parents.  The training also included giving swimmers specific skills to practice as they waited for their turn to work with the teacher individually.

After talking with B, I learned that the infamous 'messing around' occurred when they were told to stay by the wall while the teacher was working individually with another swimmer.  B was not told to practice kicking or arm strokes {he has been told to do this in the past with other swimming teachers}.  Again, I'm not excusing my son's behavior, but I am better able to understand that it happened because he was expected to just stay on a wall with 2 other kids his age.  He wasn't given anything constructive to do, so he found something to do, which wasn't a good choice.

Before our conversation concluded the director thanked me for bringing these items of frustration to her attention.  She went on to say that the swim teacher would not be able to grow without parent feedback.  The director also stated that they always try to make the program the best that it can be and talking with parents helps with that.

Now that the situation is done and over with I feel better knowing that I stood up for my child in a respectful way. 

I realize that the swimming instructor is young {even younger than I gave him credit for initially} and doesn't realize the effect of his words and actions have.  I hope that he will use this opportunity to learn and think before he acts in future.

Part of my heart still aches knowing that my son wasn't really ever given a fair chance to show the swim teacher that he does know how to listen and be respectful.  B is caring and kind and he wants to follow directions.  He just needs to know what the exceptions are that he should be following.

Stupid Swimming Lessons

{WARNING: This Mommy is about to get ugly}

Alright so here's the situation:

B and G have been taking swimming lessons 2 days a week for the past month {This is not the first summer they have taken lessons}.

Last night was their last lesson.  When lessons ended they were given Progress Reports.

The Progress Report is broken up into 7 sections with various titles, such as Personal Safety and Stroke Development.  It ends with section labeled, Instructor's Comments.

B handed me his soggy Progress Report and I glanced at it.  As I scanned through it I was trying to help him dry off, alert G as to where we were {For some reason he wasn't able to find us.}, and bounce a fussy Baby M.

Now before I go any further I need to let you know that I am not one of those people who thinks that her child is a perfect swimmer and expects a + mark to be in each box.  For goodness sakes the kid is 6.  Having this kind of attitude, in my opinion, suggests that there is no room for growth.  Let's be honest here, we can all grow in some way.

Ok back on topic, when I got to the section labeled: Swimmer's Attitude I read,

2.  Listens to instructions and follows directions.
The teacher {who appeared to be a high school kid, but my better judgment tells me that he was at least a Freshman in college.} wrote: Messes around to {That's not a typo.  He really spelled it like that.} much with J {wrote out the other child's name}.

Now wait a minute, why am I just now learning about my child 'messing around too much' with another child?  If this problem was significant enough for you to bring it to my attention in the Progress Report maybe you, Mr. Swim Teacher, should have alerted Brent and I to the issue a little sooner.  This way we could have addressed it with B.  And maybe, just maybe it would have stopped.  Oh and on another note, I don't think it was appropriate for you to write another child's name on my child's Progress Report.  Have you heard of a little thing called confidentiality?  Since this 'messing around' was so troublesome, I'm guessing that you wrote my child's name on the other child's Progress Report.  Now in all honesty, I'm sure J is a lovely child and his family is just fantastic, but on the off chance that they are crazy psychos, I'm not too thrilled about B's name potentially being written on J's Progress Report.

Ok problem #2:

Under the same section heading I continued to read:

4.  Demonstrates caring, honesty, respect & responsibility.
The teacher wrote: sometimes/sometimes not.

Ok, could you elaborate a little here?  Maybe you could try this thing called a positive sandwich.  Here's what you do: start with something positive a child does, explain in a gentle, yet tactful way what needs to be worked on, and finish with another positive.  It's like the positives are the bun of the sandwich and the area of growth is the meat, get it?!  What specifically does he do correctly sometimes?  What specifically does he sometimes not do?  Again, I'd like to address this with B, but saying: "Sometimes you are caring, honest, respectful, and responsible and other times you’re not", doesn't help him to know what he needs to keep doing and what he needs to stop doing.

Onto problem #3:

The Progress Report ended with: Instructor's Comments.

Oh wonderful Swimming Instructor wrote:
He is a very good swimmer {Yay, a positive!} he just needs to stop messing around with J {Same kid's name written, again.} and the things we use and he will get 10 times better than he is right now.

Well thank you for the complement glad to know you could find 1 thing to let me know that he does well.  Now, back to this messing around with J thing,  it's obvious that you found it extremely troublesome {and rightfully so}, however, if it was that much trouble why in the hell did you not talk with Brent and I about this?!  I would have been more than happy to talk with B about the problem and get it corrected!

As I'm sure you can guess I was slightly upset after reading this shit junk.  In an effort to try and help B realize he made mistakes and that he needed to rectify them, I briefly explained that his teacher noted his disappointment with B messing around with J.  I continued to explain my disappointment and encouraged him to tell the teacher he was sorry.

So as we were leaving the pool B walked up to his teacher.  The teacher was standing and talking with a group of other teachers and life guards {It did look as if they were practicing some type of drills}.  He didn't even acknowledge that B was standing near him {I'm sure B did speak softly and it was more than likely difficult to hear his voice}.  Finally, B tapped him on the elbow; the teacher didn't even look at B.  B said, "I'm sorry."   The teacher, still not looking at B, muttered "it's cool."

It's cool?!  Ok his response, his attitude, and his body language tell me that he can't stand B and is very annoyed with him.

First of all buddy, the kid is 6!  While I'm not thrilled with his behavior, it is developmentally appropriate.  If you can't handle it, get another job!  Second of all, whether you like it or not you are a role model.  You put yourself in that situation when you took this job.  You did not demonstrate the attitude of a good role model!

I did try to talk with the director of the swimming lessons before we left, but she had gone home for the day.  I called and left her a voice mail message when I got home.

I also talked with B about his behavior and we came up with some better activities he could do rather than 'mess' around with J {Whatever the heck that means!}

This is from last summer when his teacher liked him.

{Stupid Swimming Lessons Update}

Growing Up is Hard

You may or may not be aware of G's larger than life personality.

He is an all or nothing kind of guy.

At 4 years of age he knows what he wants and what he likes and he will let his feelings be known, LOUD and clear!

G is obsessed with all things that are soft.  It could be anything from a blanket to a pair of pj's.

If it's soft he likes loves it!

Little did I know 2 years ago when I purchased a pair of fleece Santa jammies, that they would become his favorite!

 *Sorry for the elephant ears.  It's
amazing how difficult it was to find a picture of him wearing the pj's that he never takes off!








I would even venture to say that they are more than simply his favorite.  G is flat out obsessed with these pj's.  He wears these things all of the time.  As soon as they are clean they are the first pair he picks out to wear.  It's been like 100 degrees almost every day this summer and the kid still chooses to wear fleece pj's with long sleeves and pants.

The other day I made the mistake of mentioning that his favorite pj's were beginning to look a little short on him.


I'm not really sure what I was thinking as the words spilled out of my mouth.

Have you ever had one of those moments where you're watching and listening to yourself.  You hear what's coming out of your mouth and you know it needs to stop, but no matter how hard you try you just. can't. make. it. stop. {Yeah that's how it went down}

It is an understatement to say that he was upset about the pj's.  He was down right pissed!

I'm pretty sure the neighbors heard his disgust with me over the comment.

I guess I should learn to keep my opinions to myself.

I'm pretty sure he's going to hang onto these babies until he can't pull them on.

Do your kids obsess over anything?